What Pope Francis says about Mercy, about Prayer and about Service

What

POPE FRANCIS MERCY, about PRAYER, and about SERVICE

says about

Reflections and Prayers by

Deborah McCann

PHILIPPINES

WHAT POPE FRANCIS SAYS ABOUT MERCY, ABOUT PRAYER, AND ABOUT SERVICE Copyright © 2016 by Deborah McCann Published by Twenty-Third Publications A Division of Bayard 1 Montauk Avenue, Suite 200 New London, CT 06320 USA The quotes from Pope Francis were chosen from his homilies, audiences, and writings by Deborah McCann, who also wrote the reflections and the “Ponder” and “Pray” pieces.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the publisher.

Published and distributed by Paulines Publishing House Daughters of St. Paul 2650 F.B. Harrison Street 1300 Pasay City, Philippines E-mail: edpph@paulines.ph Website: www.paulines.ph Cover design: Ann Marie Nemenzo, FSP Photo credits: Edita Maranan (Areopagus Communications) 1st printing 2016 ISBN 978-971-590-815-3 Areas of distribution: Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore

at the service of the Gospel and culture

What

POPE FRANCIS says about

MERCY

INT RO D U C T I O N

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W

hat a great moment of serendipity! As this booklet was being written, Pope Francis proclaimed a Year of Mercy. Mercy is perhaps his favorite topic, and he brings it down to a level that all of us can not only un­ derstand but learn to emulate. God’s mercy is always available to us if we know where and how to look for it. To do that, we must learn to open our hearts to the promptings of the Spirit. If we’re attentive and open to the pos­ sibility, we will be led to seeing the face of Christ in all we meet.

How do we begin? Pope Francis calls us to look at ourselves and at others with a heart full of mercy. It’s a challenge to open ourselves— to open our eyes and hearts and arms—to others, but he shows us the way. I invite you to ponder some of Pope Francis’ thoughts about mercy and through them to journey to a new

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What Pope Francis Says

way of seeing and being—one that will help us reflect the face of Christ to others‌and to recognize it being reflected back at us.

...About Mercy

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FINDING MERCY

It is in accepting our sinful human nature that we find God’s mercy and love.

If you want to see God’s unconditional love at work, take a look at the 12-step recovery programs. There everyone is accepted and supported. People are pa­tient with one another because they all share the same struggle. Pope Francis reminds us that this is exactly what God is inviting us to experience when we come to him. We find acceptance, we find sup­port, we find mercy, and we find love—no questions asked. What we do with that is our choice.

PONDER

Am I really aware of the depth and power of God’s love within me? Can I believe that God is using everything that I am to help spread his message of mercy?

PRAY

Lord, grant that I might recognize the gift of your healing, and give me the courage to know that I can rely on your faith in me to make me an effective wit­ness for others.

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What Pope Francis Says

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FIND MERCY...

SHARE MERCY

Mercy sets us on the path to acceptance of one another.

A photo that recently went viral on the Internet was of a group of Muslims in Egypt protecting a Christian church while the Christians were cel­ebrating Mass inside. There was mercy in action—the understanding that there is a force in this world more powerful than borders or theologies. That force is love. Pope Francis reminds us that God’s love changes us and cancels any barriers that sepa­ rate us from anyone else. Living this love is not the easy choice, but it is the only one that will heal us.

PONDER

What does really accepting others mean to me? What barriers in my own heart must I overcome?

PRAY

Lord, may the example of one faith protecting an­other guide me in my path to both experiencing and sharing your mercy. Open my eyes and heart so that I may serve you better. ...About Mercy

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What

POPE FRANCIS says about

PRAYER

INT RO D U C T I O N

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T

he moment he stepped out on the balcony overlook­ing St. Peter’s Square to greet the faithful for the first time, Pope Francis set the theme for his message to us all: Prayer is the heart of what we do. Before offering his first papal blessing, he asked those assembled to pray for him.

Throughout his history-making visit to the United States, he called upon every group to whom he spoke to be mindful of prayer and to trust in its transforma­tive power.

It is clear from his witness that prayer in­ forms and guides all that he does—and he asks that we let prayer do the same for us. In these short reflections, based on things Pope Francis has said about prayer, may we find a new way of opening our minds and hearts to the Lord who wants to be near to us.

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What Pope Francis Says

Let us take Pope Francis’ witness to heart and learn to pray with faith and confidence in the Lord who loves us!

...About Prayer

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7

GOD IS GRACE!

God doesn’t send his grace through the mail— it is hand delivered! We have to be there to receive it!

Courageous prayer, Pope Francis says, is prayer that looks God in the eye and rejoices at the meeting! When God gives us grace, God gives us himself. God is always ready to open the door at which we knock and to greet and embrace us. If we were really aware of how eager God is to encounter us—and to encounter us with open arms—wouldn’t that give us the courage we seek?

PONDER

Does thinking of God as someone waiting to listen make God seem smaller in my eyes?

Or does it help me to draw closer in prayer?

PRAY

God of life and love, I seek your grace so many times in a day. Help me to see that you come to me as your gracious self, and often through those I meet.

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What Pope Francis Says

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PRAYER IS RISKY BUSINESS

Courageous prayer means speaking to God with honesty, candor, and faith that we’ll be heard—even when we’re calling God to task!

Pope Francis, again using the example of Moses’ forthright bargaining with the Lord, reminds us that it’s okay to take risks in prayer.

It’s even okay to re­monstrate with the Lord about things we’ve asked for that we didn’t get, or disappointments we’ve ex­perienced. If we’re truly open to this personal en­counter, it’s possible that we may find a greater un­ derstanding of why what we wanted didn’t happen, but also what we may have been granted instead.

PONDER

Have I ever found solace when bargaining with or scolding the Lord in prayer? Has such conversation deepened my relationship with God? PRAY

God of life and love, help me come to you openly and without fear. ...About Prayer

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What

POPE FRANCIS says about

SERVICE

INT RO D U C T I O N

•

“G

o forth! Proclaim!”

In many of his addresses during his visit to the United States, Pope Francis raised the call to disciple­ship and reminded everyone who heard him that this call is not limited to the few—to the ordained and consecrated—but is meant for all of us by virtue of our baptism.

In Laudato Si’, he spoke of our need for one an­other and our responsibility for one another. If we take our faith seriously, we are to go out and share the gospel in every way we can. Following the approach shown by one of Pope Francis’ favorite saints and role models, Francis of Assisi, we are called to preach the gospel always, and in all ways, using words when necessary.

So our call is to look and to see, to hear and to listen, to reach out and to touch, and to share God’s good news. These thirty reflections

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What Pope Francis Says

based on Pope Francis’ words are meant to guide us and point the way.

...About Service

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KNOW WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR We are most effective in service when we look at others from the perspective of one whom God has anointed and healed.

It is true that we often feel very close to those who have shared some of the same sorrows in life that we have experienced. Pope Francis tells us that our eyes will be opened to mercy and mission when we remember the times we ourselves have received mercy—from God and others—and been healed. If we have been healed, we can offer that assurance to others!

PONDER

Have there been times that I have been less open than I might have been to others’ needs?

PRAY

God of love and mercy, help me to remember my forgiveness at your hands, so that I may share that mercy!

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What Pope Francis Says

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THE BEST SERVICE As Mary raced to help her cousin Elizabeth, so we should be ready to hasten to serve others.

Pope Francis uses the image of Mary, after the Annunciation, going to help her cousin Elizabeth. That selfless attention to others at a time of great personal need is a hallmark of how our service should look. The best service, Pope Francis reminds us, is that service done on behalf of others even when we’d rather focus on our own problems. Our own attention to prayer, Scripture, and worship will prepare us to see the need in another’s eyes.

PONDER

Whom might I help right now, today, with God’s help?

PRAY

God of love and mercy, I am so inadequate to serve you, but I trust that you can empower me, and I will try to be ready.

...About Service

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